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“Maybe you should try cutting it.” Silco’s voice, though soft, made Jinx jump and spin around, holding the hairbrush over her arm, ready to throw it. She softened slightly when she saw it was just him, but stayed tense.
“Sh- she was always the one to cut my hair,” Jinx said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Said it was too dangerous to let it be long, could get caught in my tinkering.” She lowered the brush and sat down, hugging her legs to her chest. Her hair fell aside, already reaching down to her shoulders.
Silco stood in the doorway, not wanting to intrude. It had only been a few weeks since she had moved in with him, and neither of them was quite sure how to interact with the other. Silco generally let Jinx take the lead. Sometimes she clung to his side, holding his hand with surprising strength or even climbing onto his back. Others, she was distant, scared of him. There had been more than a few times when Silco had been forced to defend himself, though it wasn’t hard to do. He was, after all, much bigger and stronger than her. He could easily kill her, either himself or through others, if he wanted to.
He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want to. He told himself it was because she could be a valuable asset. He told himself it was because she was a tool that needed a careful hand to guide, that having her trust him would do great things for his goals. And this was true. Already, she had made strides in her bombs and engineering. She was lacking in physical strength, but he had plenty of muscle, and her acrobatics would allow her to be anywhere. Jinx was useful, that was why Silco kept her around.
And if that wasn’t the only reason? Well, he had more important things on his mind to worry about.
“Do you… mind if I come in?” Silco asked, uncertainly. He was used to taking, to ordering, to going where and when he wanted, but there was something about Jinx that made him want to ask. Pushing too hard would break her, and a broken tool has no use. That was why he asked. Nothing more.
Jinx hugged herself tighter, eyes shut and hidden behind her knees, and shrugged. Silco took that as an invitation and slowly walked in. He sat on her bed and waited, but she didn’t say anything else. He could tell by her breathing that she was either crying or trying not to, and a strange sensation ran through his chest.
Silco coughed, awkwardly, trying to dislodge whatever it was that was caught.
“Would you… like me to cut it?” he offered after a minute. Jinx stiffened again, hugging herself tighter, closer, as if trying to pull herself into nothingness. She shrugged, then shook her head, then nodded and shook her head and shrugged again. She mumbled something that Silco couldn’t make out past the smothering of her arms.
“Is that a yes or a no?” His voice was colder than he intended it, the cool mask having long since become his default, especially to cover up any uncertainty. Jinx raised her head, dropping her chin to her knees instead and lowering her arms so they wrapped around her shins instead. She faced Silco, but kept her eyes shut tight.
“Always wanted to grow it out,” she said. She wiped her nose on her knee and Silco fought back a repulsed recoil, even though she couldn’t see him. “But I don’t want it to get caught in the gears.”
“You could braid it,” Silco offered. Jinx opened an eye at that, glairing sharply at him. She squeezed it shut again.
“Dunno how.”
“I could teach you.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized, and both her eyes shot open. Silco balked, unable to read the expression she leveled at him, and wondering where the suggestion had even come from. He wasn’t used to this, either, offering something without knowing what he would be getting in return.
Jinx unfolded herself, slowly, and scooted towards Silco. Her motions suddenly reminded him of that of a stray animal approaching for food. Cautious, ready to run at a moment’s notice, but curious. Hopeful. Wary.
It wasn’t until Jinx had settled herself on her bed with her back to him that Silco realized he had done something he hadn’t done in years: offered something he wasn’t sure he had. He had braided rope before, sure, you don’t get around in the undercity without at least having an idea of how to make or mend rope, but hair?
Well. Silco had never been one to lose face or admit he can’t do something. And really, how different can hair be?
“One braid, or two?” Silco asked, as much as an attempt on where to start as for actual concern for her opinion. Jinx shrugged again, legs pulled back into her chest.
“Let’s go with two, okay?”
Neither one said anything as he got started. Her hair was thin, weak and oily. He had provided for her since she came into his care, of course, but it seemed she had not been taking care of herself. Silco made a mental note to look into that later, and focused on the task at hand.
His movements were uncertain, unsteady, and he kept pulling too hard or not hard enough, and Jinx barely had hair long enough to properly braid anyway. By the time Silco thought he had a grasp on what he was doing, he was out of hair. Frowning, he wrapped a band around the base of the braid and moved on to the other side.
The second braid was easier, his fingers finding their rhythm, but it still wasn’t something he had natural skill or practice in. It was better than the first, but both looked messy and loose, with poor tension, hardly better than it was before. With a sigh, he put his hands down and scooted back a bit.
“There you are,” he said, trying not to betray how poor a job he had done. Jinx reached back and grabbed a braid in her hand, not turning to face him. She gripped her hair tightly and pulled it infront of her face to inspect, but it wasn’t long enough to reach easily and she dropped it.
Neither spoke or moved for a minute. Then, with startling speed, Jinx spun around and flung herself around Silco’s middle, squeezing him in a tight hug, much like she had the night they met. Cautiously, he lowered his own arms around her.
“Thank you,” Jinx whispered. Silco felt his shirt grow damp where her face was pressed against him, and he swallowed a grimace. That strange feeling was back in his chest, pleasantly warm and unexpected. He squeezed her back, just once, gently, and waited for her to let go.
She did, eventually, pulling herself away from him as quickly as she had attached herself, still not looking at him. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder and she jumped away. Standing now, she reached up and grabbed one of the braids in both hands, still, still, still not looking directly at Silco.
“I’d like you to go now, please,” Jinx said. “I mean, I’d like to be alone. Please.” Silco nodded, though she had already turned away.
“Very well. I have business to attend to anyway.” He didn’t, not anything urgent at least, but he still felt the need to make it clear that he was leaving because he needed to, not because she had asked. Silco took orders from no one, not even those phrased as gentle requests.
Quietly, Silco stood. He kept his distance from Jinx as he walked to her door, sparing only one last glance at her. She still had her back to him, though now she sat at her desk and had started tinkering on a project. He closed the door as he left, making sure not to slam it and startle her.
As Silco walked away, he decided that the feeling in his chest, although strange, was not an unwelcome one.